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my pup is awesum

Sheeba the dog died three weeks ago, 11 December 2010. She had a malignant mast cell tumour on her leg. She was only sick for a week before I had her put down, but after the infection on the tumour improved she was back to running around for a few days, just not quite as much as b4. Unfortunately we didn’t go for one last sk8, bike ride or beach trip together, but there were a few tennis balls to chase. And I let her sleep her last night on my bed.

Her cremation wasn’t very green cos the alternative would be burying her in the garden under a silver princess tree, thus providing compost to the growing gum. She will always be my silver princess, but her predecessors have their ashes lined up on the mantelpiece and I couldn’t leave her outside when they were beside the sofa.

The first cremation happened because Kori (a talented escape artist) ran on the road and was killed without my knowledge. I knew she had escaped but only found out she was dead two days later. The local council has to cremate any dead animals they find and cos she had a rego tag they called me the Monday after to tell me the sad news. They were nice enough not to charge me for her cremation. She was my first sk8 dog and we sk8ed together for nine months.

Lola came next and only stayed for five months because she’d been so badly treated. I didn’t know this when we met, but her absolute terror of the hose, before it was turned on, led me to believe she’d been beaten with a length of hose. And trained to attack dogs. Despite her utter devotion and loyalty to me, the cats, and people and dogs she knew, I couldn’t train her aggression towards strangers – men and dogs – out of her. She was definitely not a sk8 dog, but I did train her not to attack me what I sk8ed, there just couldn’t be anyone else in the vicinity.

Sheeba was with me for five years and around 10 when she left. Pre-loved (or not) dogs mean I haven’t spent much time with any of my pups, but it never made the loss of my best friend any easier. Like her predecessors, Sheeba was the most awesum of awesum dogs. After watching Dogs are awesome too, you have to give your dog a hug. I wish I could, my little Holly White.